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{{Cleanup rewrite|this article should be about the history of humans in the Pacific Islands as a whole. This article should not be split up into small sections for each Pacific Island nation with a brief summary of its history like it is now|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}▼
{{
The '''history of the Pacific Islands''' covers the history of the islands in the [[Pacific Ocean]].
==Histories==
===Easter Island – Rapanui===▼
{{main|History of Easter Island}}▼
Easter Island is one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, and for most of the history of Easter Island it was the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth. Its inhabitants, the [[Rapanui]], have endured famines, epidemics, civil war, slave raids and colonialism; have seen their population crash on more than one occasion, and created a cultural legacy that has brought them fame out of proportion to their numbers.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}▼
===Cook Islands===
{{main|History of the Cook Islands}}
In Cook Islands Māori pre-history, Chieftains from present day [[French Polynesia]] and their tribes, along with navigators, took their ships in search of unknown or newly found lands, first arriving in the southern island groups around 800 AD or earlier. Many other tribal migrations from French Polynesia, notably [[Tahiti]] would continue for centuries forming a unique Māori society.
Similarly, the northern islands were also settled from the east, with some of the northern islands possibly having had later interactions with Western Polynesia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ck/history.htm |title=History of the Cook Islands : What is in our past|website=Ck|access-date=2015-12-29}}</ref> The capital [[Rarotonga]], is known, from various oral histories to have been the launching site of seven [[waka (canoe)|waka]] ship voyagers who settled in New Zealand, becoming the major tribes of the New Zealand [[Māori people|Māori]]. Up until relatively recently there was continuous contact between both lands where back and forth migration and trade took place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/rarotonga-and-the-cook-islands/history |title=History of Rarotonga & the Cook Islands – Lonely Planet Travel Information |website=Lonelyplanet.com |access-date=2015-12-29}}</ref> The Cook Islands Te Reo Māori language is closely related to the [[Te Reo Maori]] indigenous language of New Zealand. Spanish ships visited the islands in the 16th century; the first written record of contact with the islands came with the sighting of [[Pukapuka]] by Spanish sailor [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira]] in 1595 who called it ''San Bernardo'' (Saint Bernard). A few years later, a Spanish expedition led by [[Pedro Fernandes de Queirós]] made the first recorded European landing in the islands when he set foot on [[Rakahanga]] in 1606, calling it ''Gente Hermosa'' (Beautiful People).<ref>[http://findingnz.co.nz/av/gav22.htm] {{webarchive
▲{{main|History of Easter Island}}
▲Easter Island is one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, and for most of the history of Easter Island it was the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth. Its inhabitants, the [[
===Fiji===
{{main|History of Fiji}}
The history of Fiji dates back to ancient times. There are many theories as to how the [[Fijians|Fijian]] race came into existence.
===Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands===
{{main|History of Guam}}
The history of Guam involves phases including the early arrival of people known today as the ancient [[Chamorros]], the development of "pre-contact" society, Spanish colonization, and the present American rule of the island. Archaeologists using carbon-dating have broken Pre-Contact Guam (i.e. Chamorro) history into three periods: "Pre-Latte" (BC 2000? to AD 1) "Transitional Pre-Latte" (AD 1 to AD 1000), and "Latte" (AD 1000 to AD 1521). Archaeological evidence also suggests that Chamorro society was on the verge of another transition phase by 1521, when [[Ferdinand Magellan]]'s expedition arrived, as latte stones became bigger. The original inhabitants of Guam are believed to be descendants of [[
===Hawaii===
{{main|History of Hawaii}}
Hawaiian history is inextricably tied into a larger [[Polynesia]]n phenomenon.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Pearce|first=Charles E. M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rhQxc4GW8soC&pg=PA167#v=onepage&q&f=false|title=Oceanic Migration: Paths, Sequence, Timing and Range of Prehistoric Migration in the Pacific and Indian Oceans|last2=Pearce|first2=F. M.|date=2010-06-17|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-90-481-3826-5|language=en}}</ref> Hawai{{okina}}i is the northernmost vertex of the [[Polynesian Triangle]], a region of the Pacific Ocean anchored by three island groups: Hawai{{okina}}i, Rapa Nui ([[Easter Island]]), and Aotearoa (New Zealand). The many island cultures within the Polynesian Triangle share similar languages derived from a [[Malayo-Polynesian languages|proto-Malayo-Polynesian language]] used in Southeast Asia 5,000 years ago. Polynesians also share cultural traditions, such as religion, social organization, myths, and material culture. Anthropologists believe that all Polynesians have descended from a South Pacific proto-culture created by an Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) people that had migrated from Southeast Asia. The seven main Polynesian cultures are [[Māori people|Aotearoa]], [[Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i]], [[Easter Island|Rapa Nui]], [[Marquesas]], [[Samoa]], [[Tahiti]], and [[Tonga]].▼
▲Hawaiian history is inextricably tied into a larger [[Polynesia]]n phenomenon.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|
The early settlement history of Hawai{{okina}}i is a topic of continuing debate.<ref name=":0" /> Estimates for the date of first settlement of the Hawai'ian islands range from the 3rd century C.E. to between 940 and 1130 C.E.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Hawaii - History and Heritage|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/hawaii-history-and-heritage-4164590/|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Athens|first=J. Stephen|last2=Rieth|first2=Timothy M.|last3=Dye|first3=Thomas S.|date=January 2014|title=A Paleoenvironmental and Archaeological Model-Based Age Estimate for the Colonization of Hawai’l|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-antiquity/article/abs/paleoenvironmental-and-archaeological-modelbased-age-estimate-for-the-colonization-of-hawail/A831E7C6BED967D22E33C905FE1CD3FA|journal=American Antiquity|language=en|volume=79|issue=1|pages=144–155|doi=10.7183/0002-7316.79.1.144|issn=0002-7316}}</ref>▼
▲The early settlement history of Hawai{{okina}}i is a topic of continuing debate.<ref name=":0" /> Estimates for the date of first settlement of the Hawai'ian islands range from the 3rd century C.E. to between 940 and 1130 C.E.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Hawaii - History and Heritage|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/hawaii-history-and-heritage-4164590/|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|
===Kiribati===
{{main|History of Kiribati}}
In the history of Kiribati, the islands which now form the Republic of [[Kiribati]] have been inhabited for at least seven hundred years, and possibly much longer. The initial [[
===New Caledonia===
In the [[history of New Caledonia]], the diverse group of people that settled over the [[
===New Zealand===
{{main|History of New Zealand}}
The History of New Zealand dates back to at least 700 years to when it was discovered and settled by [[Polynesians]], who developed a distinct [[Māori people|Māori]] culture centred on kinship links and land. The first European explorer, the Dutch [[Abel Tasman]], came to New Zealand in 1642. From the late 18th century, the country was regularly visited by explorers and other sailors, missionaries, traders and adventurers. In 1840 the [[Treaty of Waitangi]] was signed between the [[British Crown]] and various Māori chiefs, bringing New Zealand into the [[British Empire]] and giving Māori equal rights with British citizens. There was extensive European and some Asian settlement throughout the rest of the century. War and the imposition of a European economic and legal system led to most of New Zealand's land passing from Māori to
From the 1890s the [[New Zealand parliament]] enacted a number of progressive initiatives, including [[Women's suffrage in New Zealand|women's suffrage]] and old age pensions. From the 1930s the economy was highly regulated and an extensive welfare state was developed. Meanwhile, Māori culture underwent a renaissance, and from the 1950s Māori began moving to the cities in large numbers. This led to the development of a [[Māori protest movement]] which in turn led to greater recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi in the late 20th century. In the 1980s the economy was largely deregulated and a number of socially liberal policies, such as decriminalisation of homosexuality, were put in place. Foreign policy, which had previously consisted mostly of following Britain or the United States, became more independent. Subsequent governments have generally maintained these policies, although tempering the free market ethos somewhat.
===Niue
The history of
The modern history of Niue can be traced back to
The island country became independent in 1974 but still have a free association agreement with New Zealand and many of its citizens have become citizens of New Zealand. Now the Island country has a democracy and is governed by a legislative assembly consisting of 20 members. Niue is the smallest democracy in the world.
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===Papua New Guinea===
{{main|History of Papua New Guinea}}
The History of Papua New Guinea can be traced back to about 60,000 years ago when people first migrated towards the [[Australia (continent)|Australian continent]]. The written history began when European navigators first sighted [[New Guinea]] in the early part of the 16th century. Portuguese explorers first arrived from the west and later Spanish navigators from the east, after crossing the Pacific. The island was given its name "New Guinea" by Spanish explorer [[Yñigo Ortiz de Retez]] who sailed its coast in 1545. Archaeological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an [[Quaternary glaciation|ice age]] period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. For an overview of the geological history of the continent of which New Guinea is a part, see [[Australia-New Guinea|Australia – New Guinea]]. Although the first arrivals were [[hunter-gatherer]]s, early evidence shows that people managed the forest environment to provide food. The gardens of the New Guinea highlands are ancient, intensive [[permaculture]]s, adapted to high population densities, very high rainfalls (as high as 10,000mm/yr (400in/yr)), earthquakes, hilly land, and occasional frost. There are indications that gardening was being practised at the same time that agriculture was developing in [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Egypt]].
===Samoa===
{{main|History of Samoa|Archaeology in Samoa}}
In the
===Solomon Islands===
{{main|History of
The human history of the Solomon Islands begins with the first settlement at least 30,000 years ago from New Guinea. They represented the furthest expansion of humans into the Pacific Ocean until the expansion of [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian-language speakers]] through the area around 4000 BCE, bringing new agricultural and maritime technology. Most of the languages spoken today in the Solomon Islands derive from this era, but some thirty languages of the pre-Austronesian settlers survive ''(see [[East Papuan languages]]).'' The first European contact was that of Spanish explorer [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira]] whose expedition first sighted [[Santa Isabel island]] on 7 February 1568. Finding signs of alluvial gold on Guadalcanal, Mendaña believed he had found the source of [[King Solomon]]'s wealth, and consequently named the islands "The Islands of Solomon". Many of the islands were also named by these explorers, including [[Guadalcanal]], the [[Santa Cruz Islands]], [[Makira|San Cristobal]], [[Owaraha|Santa Ana]] and Santa Isabel. In 1595 and 1605 Spain again sent several expeditions to find the islands and establish a colony, though these were unsuccessful. In 1767 Captain [[Philip Carteret]] rediscovered [[Santa Cruz Islands|Santa Cruz]] and [[Malaita]]. Later, Dutch, French and British navigators visited the islands; their reception was often hostile.
===Tahiti===
In the [[history of Tahiti]], Tahiti is estimated to have been settled by [[Polynesians]] between CE 300 and 800 coming from [[Tonga]] and [[Samoa]], although some estimates place the date earlier. The fertile island soil combined with [[fishing]] provided ample food for the population. Although the first European sighting of the islands was by a Spanish ship in 1606, Spain made no effort to trade with or colonize the island. [[Samuel Wallis]], an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti on 18 June 1767, and is considered the first European visitor to the island. The perceived relaxation and contented nature of the local people and the characterization of the island as a paradise much impressed early European visitors, planting the seed for a romanticization by the West that endures to this day.
===Tokelau===
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===Tonga===
{{main|History of Tonga}}
The history of [[Tonga]] stretches back to around roughly 1000 AD,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CCX3652100228&docType=Country+overview&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=GVRL&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3652100228&searchId=R10&userGroupName=kutztownuniv&inPS=true|title=Gale - Enter Product Login|website=go.galegroup.com|access-date=2018-03-01}}</ref> when the [[Polynesians]] arrived. Tonga became known as the [[Tu'i Tonga Empire|Tongan Empire]] through extensive trading and its influence and show of strength and domination over parts of the Pacific (e.g. Samoa, Fiji). The Europeans arrived in the 17th century which was followed after a couple hundred years by a single unified Tongan kingdom. Archaeological evidence shows that the first settlers in Tonga sailed from the [[Santa Cruz Islands]], as part of the original Austronesian-speakers' (Lapita) migration which originated out of southeast Asia some 6,000 years before present. Archaeological dating places Tonga as the oldest known site in Polynesia for the distinctive Lapita ceramic ware, at 2800–2750 years before present.<ref>{{cite web |last1=present |title=something that you are given, without asking for it, on a special occasion, especially to show friendship, or to say thank you: a birthday/Christmas/wedding present They gave me theatre tickets as a present |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/present |website=Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref>
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During pre-European-contact times there was frequent canoe voyaging between the islands as [[Polynesian navigation]] skills are recognised to have allowed deliberate journeys on double-hull sailing canoes or [[outrigger canoe]]s.<ref name="Belwood1">{{cite book |last1= Bellwood|first1= Peter|title=The Polynesians – Prehistory of an Island People |year= 1987 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |pages=39–44}}</ref> Eight of the nine islands of Tuvalu were inhabited; thus the name, Tuvalu, means "eight standing together" in [[Tuvaluan language|Tuvaluan]]. The pattern of settlement that is believed to have occurred is that the Polynesians spread out from the [[Samoa]]n Islands into the Tuvaluan atolls, with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone to migration into the [[Polynesian outliers|Polynesian Outlier communities]] in [[Melanesia]] and [[Micronesia]].<ref name="Belwood2">{{cite book |last1= Bellwood|first1= Peter|title=The Polynesians – Prehistory of an Island People |year= 1987 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |pages=29 & 54}}</ref><ref name="Bayard">{{cite book |last1=Bayard|first1=D.T.|title=The Cultural Relationships of the Polynesian Outiers |year= 1976 |publisher=Otago University, Studies in Prehistoric Anthropology, Vol. 9}}</ref><ref name="Kirch">{{cite book |last1=Kirch|first1=P.V.|title=The Polynesian Outiers |year= 1984 |publisher=95 (4) Journal of Pacific History|pages=224–238 }}</ref>
In 1568, Spanish navigator [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira|Álvaro de Mendaña]] was the first European to sail through the islands and sighted [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]] during his expedition in search of [[Terra Australis]]. European explorers did not return until two centuries later. In 1819 the island of [[Funafuti]] was named Ellice's Island; the name Ellice was applied to all nine islands after the work of English hydrographer [[Alexander George Findlay]] (1812–1876).<ref>''A Directory for the Navigation of the Pacific Ocean: With Description of Its Coasts, Islands, Etc. from the Strait of Magalhaens to the Arctic Sea'' (1851)</ref> The islands came under Britain's sphere of influence in the late 19th century, when each of the Ellice Islands was declared a British [[protectorate]] by Captain Gibson R.N., of [[HMS Curacoa (1878)|HMS ''Curacoa'']], between 9 and 16 October 1892.<ref name="TAHNPT">{{cite book |
A [[1974 Ellice Islands self-determination referendum|referendum was held in December 1974]] to determine whether the Gilbert Islands and Ellice Islands should each have their own administration.<ref name=N>Nohlen, D, Grotz, F & Hartmann, C (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II'', p. 831, {{ISBN|0-19-924959-8}}</ref> As a consequence of the referendum, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony ceased to exist on 1 January 1976 and the separate British colonies of [[Kiribati]] and Tuvalu came into existence.<ref name="TAHTI">''Tuvalu: A History'', Chapter 20, Secession and Independence, pp. 153–177</ref><ref name="TPBN">{{cite journal |first= W. David |last= McIntyre |title
===Vanuatu===
{{main|History of Vanuatu}}
In the history of Vanuatu, the commonly held theory of [[Vanuatu]]'s [[prehistory]] from archaeological evidence supports that peoples speaking [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] [[language]]s first came to the islands some 4,000 to 6,000 years ago.<ref>[http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fadt_ctte/completed_inquiries/2002-04/png/report/index.htm "A Pacific engaged: Australias (sic) relations with Papua New Guinea and the island states of the southwest Pacific"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027181719/http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/fadt_ctte/completed_inquiries/2002-04/png/report/index.htm |date=27 October 2007 }}, Australian Senate, 12 August 2003, p. 288</ref> [[Pottery]] fragments have been found dating back to 1300 BC<ref>Ron Adams, [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-53977 "History (from Vanuatu)"], ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', 2006</ref> What little is known of the pre-European contact history of Vanuatu has been gleaned from oral histories and legends. One important early king was [[Roy Mata]], who united several tribes, and was buried in a large mound with several retainers. The first European contact with Vanuatu came in 1606, when a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese explorer [[Pedro Fernández de Quirós]] discovered [[Espiritu Santo]], naming it ''Australia del Espiritu Santo'', believing he had arrived in the southern [[continent]]. Europeans did not return until 1768, when [[Louis Antoine de Bougainville]] rediscovered the islands.
===Other islands===
{{See also|Polynesian navigation|Micronesia navigation|Marshall Islands stick chart}}
[[History of American Samoa]] begins with inhabitation as early as 1000 BC, Samoa was not reached by European explorers until the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Bougainville.html|title=Bougainville biography|website=www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk|access-date=2016-09-19}}</ref>▼
▲The [[
The [[history of Baker Island]] began when the United States of America took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island – as well as on nearby [[Howland Island]] – but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a [[day beacon]] is situated near the middle of the west coast.▼
▲The [[history of Baker Island]] began when the
Westerners arrived in [[Caroline Islands]] in 1525, by the Portuguese [[Diogo da Rocha]] and his pilot [[Gomes de Sequeira]], naming them the ''Sequeira Islands''. At about the same time, in 1526, they were sighted by the Spanish [[Toribio Alonso de Salazar]], he called them "Carolinas" after
In the [[history of French Polynesia]], the French Polynesian island groups do not share a common history before the establishment of the French protectorate in 1889. The first French Polynesian islands to be settled by [[Polynesians]] were the [[Marquesas Islands]] in AD 300 and the [[Society Islands]] in AD 800. The Polynesians were organized in petty [[chieftainship]]s.<ref name=KMLA1797>{{cite web|url=http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/pacific/frpolynpre1797.html|title=History of Polynesia, before 1797|first=Alexander|last=Ganse|access-date=20 October 2007}}</ref>
[[History of Howland Island|Historical evidence]] suggests that Howland Island
▲[[History of Howland Island|Historical evidence suggests that Howland Island]] was the site of prehistoric settlement, which may have extended down to [[Rawaki Island|Rawaki]], [[Kanton Island|Kanton]], [[Manra Island|Manra]] and [[Orona]] of the [[Phoenix Islands]] 500 to 700 km southeast. This settlement might have taken the form of a single community utilising several adjacent islands, but the hard life on these isolated islands, together with the uncertainty of fresh water supplies, led to an extinction of or dereliction by the settled peoples, in such a way that other islands in the area (such as [[Kiritimati]] and [[Pitcairn Island|Pitcairn]]) were abandoned.<ref>Irwin, pp. 176–179.</ref> Such settlements probably began around 1000 BC, when eastern [[Melanesia]]ns travelled north.<ref>Suárez 2004, p. 17.</ref>
The [[history of Jarvis Island]] begins with the island's first known sighting by Europeans was on 21 August 1821 by the British ship ''Eliza Francis'' (or ''Eliza Frances'') owned by Edward, Thomas, and William Jarvis<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jarvisisland.info/north_pacific_pilot.html#282 |title=North Pacific Pilot page 282 |access-date=26 January 2007 |format=png |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211192130/http://jarvisisland.info/north_pacific_pilot.html#282 |archive-date=11 February 2008
In the [[history of Marquesas Islands]], the first recorded settlers of the [[Marquesas]] were [[Polynesians]], who, from archеological evidence, are believed to have arrived before 100 AD. Ethnological and linguistic evidence suggests that they likely arrived from the region of [[Tonga]] and [[Samoa]]. The islands were given their name by the Spanish explorer [[Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira]] who reached them on 21 July 1595. He named them after his patron, [[García Hurtado de Mendoza, 5th Marquis of Cañete]], who was [[Viceroy of Peru]] at the time. Mendaña visited first [[Fatu Hiva]] and then [[Tahuata]] before continuing on to the [[Solomon Islands]].
In the [[history of Melanesia]], the original inhabitants of the islands now named Melanesia were likely the ancestors of the present day Papuan-speaking people. These people are thought to have occupied New Guinea tens of millennia ago and reached the islands
The ancestors of the so-called "[[Micronesians]]" in the [[history of Micronesia]] settled there over 4,000 years ago. A decentralized chieftain-based system eventually evolved into a more centralized economic and religious empire
Researchers of the [[
In the [[
In the [[history of Tuamotu]], the Tuamotus were first discovered by a Spanish expedition led by [[Ferdinand Magellan]] in 1521. From the [[Inca Empire]], [[Tupac Inca Yupanqui]] is also credited with leading a nearly 10-month voyage of exploration into the Pacific around 1480. None of these visits were of political consequence, the islands being in the sphere of influence of the [[Pomare dynasty]] of Tahiti. At the beginning 18th century, the first Christian missionaries arrived. The islands' pearls penetrated the European market in the late 19th century, making them a coveted possession. Following the forced abdication of [[Pomare V|King Pomare V]] of Tahiti, the islands were annexed as an overseas territory of France.
==See also==
* [[
* [[Exploration of the Pacific]]
* [[List of countries and islands by first human settlement]]
* [[Pacific Islands]]
==References==
{{Reflist
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